Ed Miliband posed with this Gallic beauty on the cover of Guardian Weekend. The leggy stunner has also been papped with Hollywood names such as Sofia Coppola, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Richie and Maggie Gyllenhaal. She even had a cameo role in Sex and the City 2. Her name? Sophie la Girafe: 18cm of chewable rubber cuteness that squeaks when squeezed, soothes teething gums and is having something of a fashion moment.

Sophie may be the baby accessory du jour, but she's by no means new. Indeed, she's been around for twice the lifespan of a real giraffe. She turned 50 this month, having been produced by Vulli, a company based in the Haute-Savoie region of France, since 1961. She's remained utterly unchanged – not for her any new-fangled makeovers (I'm looking at you, Sindy and Barbie).

By word of baby mouth, this unassuming toy has become the world's favourite teether. Over 30m have now been sold. Sophie comes packaged in a retro box for £12.99 (totes accessible chic!) and is beloved by the yummy-mummy brigade. She's got the requisite organic credentials, being hand-made from natural rubber and non-toxic paint. No Bugaboo is fully equipped without one.

As part of the birthday celebrations, Vulli has been running a competition to design Sophie a birthday card, while Gauthier, Swarovski and Escada have designed her party outfits. Carine Roitfeld better beware or her status as France's fashion darling could get nabbed by a long-necked rival.

• This article was amended on 31 May 2011. The original referred to Ed Milliband. This misspelling has been corrected.